Mexican Cabbage Slaw is tossed with a flavorful honey lime dressing and makes the perfect topping for tacos or a side dish to serve with your favorite Mexican meals. Mexican coleslaw is made with fresh ingredients in just minutes, is customizable and makes a tasty summer side dish.
I love serving Mexican street corn and guacamole with homemade Mexican dishes. Both are bright and flavorful but when I want something a little light with bold flavors, and a bit more refreshing, I go for Mexican Cabbage Salad.
This Mexican coleslaw is similar to southern coleslaw recipes in appearance, but the taste is "south of the border" with a bold flavor. Instead of a heavy mayonnaise-based dressing, it's tossed with a zesty honey lime dressing so it's perfect for outdoor parties, summer cookouts and entertaining.
Cook up a batch of Crock Pot Shredded Chicken and pile the chicken and Mexican Cabbage Slaw onto tortillas to make chicken tacos. It also makes a great replacement for the slaw in my shrimp tacos recipe or fish tacos. Serve the coleslaw as a side dish for your favorite Mexican and Tex-Mex recipes or enjoy it as a light lunch. No matter how you serve it, everyone will love this easy Mexican Coleslaw recipe. Next time you cook Mexican food, try this perfect side dish with fresh flavors.
Ingredients
- Bagged Slaw Mix – Packaged coleslaw mix contains a mixture of green cabbage, red cabbage and julienned carrots. You can slice a medium cabbage rather than use a mix.
- Limes – freshly juiced limes have so much flavor.
- Olive Oil – Use any light, neutral flavored oil.
- Honey – Raw, local honey is always a great. Substitute with agave or pure maple syrup.
- Oregano – Oregano is a common addition to Mexican dishes.
- Salt and Pepper – Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- Place the bag of coleslaw mix into a large bowl.
- Mix the dressing in a small bowl.
- Pour the dressing over the slaw and mix well.
- Season to taste and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
Hint: While you can slice fresh cabbage by hand (you'll need about 6 cups of cabbage and 1 cup of carrots) bagged slaw mix is readily available and makes this recipe super easy to throw together.
Variations/ Substitutions
- Add Cilantro - Blend fresh chopped cilantro with the slaw mix for a bright flavor. This can also be substituted for the oregano.
- Add Onion - Sliced red onion adds a pop of tangy flavor.
- Add Garlic - Stir freshly minced garlic or garlic powder into the dressing for a warm, earthy flavor.
- Add More Veggies – Stir in corn, sliced or cubed avocado, green onion, cucumber, red bell pepper or whatever veggies you have on hand.
- Add Spices – You can give this slaw more flavor by mixing in cumin, chili powder or a taco seasoning blend.
- Make it Spicy – Add sliced or julienned jalapeno to make this slaw a little spicy.
- Added crunch - Toss in some pumpkin seeds for a more crunchy texture.
This recipe is not only tasty, but it's also good for you. It's gluten free, vegetarian, low carb and delicious.
Storage
This slaw is crunchiest if enjoyed the same day it's made but can be stored overnight in the fridge to serve the next day. The vegetables in this easy Mexican slaw will start to become watery after about 12 hours so just drain the extra liquid when making in advance or storing leftovers.
Freezing this slaw is not recommended.
Top tip
Refrigerate the slaw for at least one hour after mixing to allow the flavors to come together.
FAQ
Mexican cabbage slaw is made with shredded cabbage, carrots and a zesty honey lime dressing. You can customize the coleslaw with onions, cilantro, avocado, corn and more.
Bagged slaw mix is a convenient time saver but you can make this with freshly shredded cabbage and carrots. You will need about 6 cups of shredded cabbage or about one medium cabbage. You will also need 1 cup of julienned carrots, which is about 2 medium carrots. You can also leave the carrots out if desired.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve this slaw with your favorite Mexican dished but it also pairs well with BBQ and grilled meats too. Here are some of my favorite main courses that I serve this delicious recipe with:
If you like this Mexican Cabbage Slaw recipe, please leave a 5-star rating below.
RECIPE
Mexican Coleslaw
Ingredients
- 16 ounces bagged slaw mix
- 2 limes juiced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Empty cole slaw mix into a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, honey and oregano. Pour the dressing over the slaw and mix well.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. I start with half a teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper than go from there.
- This cabbage slaw is best if refrigerated for several hours before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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Shelby says
I absolutely loved the flavors in this slaw! Next time I'm going to add a little bit of cumin cause I'm addicted to the flavor it gives. Thanks for such an easy and delicious recipe!
Sara Welch says
This was such a light and refreshing salad that does not disappoint! A quick and easy side dish that pairs with just about anything!
Harriet Young says
Loved this! The honey lime dressing was so fresh and delicious. Thank you!
Charla says
I love a good slaw recipe, it's different from my native Jamaican steamed cabbage so I am very curious and want to try your version.
Gianne says
The flavors were bright and refreshing, and the crunch of the cabbage added a great texture. I will definitely be making it again.
Dannii says
The flavours in this were amazing. Perfect with tacos!
justine says
Added a bit of red pepper flakes for a hit and it was great with burgers.
Seema Sriram says
I was showing my young one some easy ideas to plan the veggies for a meal and this is a life safer. She loves Mexican flavours and the slaw mix worked perfectly.
Ned says
I really loved how the lime pulled out the flavor in this amazing slaw! Thank you for this yummy recipe!
Donalyn says
We love this as a side, and it's equally delicious on tacos or burritos - so much crunch and flavor!
kushigalu says
Love this simple and easy cabbage slaw recipe. Thanks for sharing.